Justin Baldoni has opted to not refile claims in his countersuit towards Blake Vigorous and Ryan Reynolds.
The information comes weeks after Choose Lewis J. Liman dismissed Baldoni’s $400 million lawsuit towards Vigorous, 37, and Reynolds, 48. Baldoni’s countersuit got here after Vigorous accused her It Ends With Us costar and director, 41, of sexual harassment, making a hostile work setting and making a smear marketing campaign towards her following their work on the 2024 movie.
The choose famous on the time that Baldoni may nonetheless amend his claims for breach of implied covenant and tortious interference with contract in regard to Vigorous however had to take action by Monday, June 23.
Baldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freedman revealed to People on Tuesday, June 24, that the actor and director will forgo the choice to submit any amendments. As a substitute, Baldoni will give attention to his and Vigorous’s upcoming trial surrounding her December 2024 lawsuit towards him for his alleged misconduct.
Justin Baldoni isn’t backing down from his authorized battle with It Ends With Us costar Blake Vigorous after his lawsuit towards her and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, was dismissed. “Ms. Vigorous and her group’s predictable declaration of victory is fake, so allow us to be clear concerning the newest ruling,” Baldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freedman advised Us […]
“The Courtroom’s determination on the movement to dismiss has no impact in any way on the reality that there was no harassment nor any smear marketing campaign, and it doesn’t in any approach have an effect on our vigorous protection towards Ms. Vigorous’s claims,” Freedman stated in a press release.
The lawyer continued: “Discovery is continuing and we’re assured that we’ll prevail towards these factually baseless accusations. As a substitute of revising the present claims, our shoppers shall be pursuing extra authorized choices which might be obtainable to us.”
A spokesperson for Vigorous responded to authorized replace, telling Us Weekly in a press release on Tuesday, “The Courtroom dismissed the frivolous $400 million Baldoni-Wayfarer lawsuit in its entirety. Within the days that adopted, Baldoni’s lawyer stated the choose’s determination to dismiss their case was not an enormous deal as they promised to amend and refile it. As per ordinary, that was not true. The Courtroom’s dismissal of Baldoni’s sham lawsuit was a complete victory in any case.”
Moreover, a supply near the matter advised Us, “First it wasn’t over when the choose dismissed their lawsuit in entirety as a result of Bryan Freedman promised they may amend and refile — and now it’s not over trigger they’re pursuing different authorized choices. In some unspecified time in the future even their very own supporters have to comprehend they’re being led astray.”
Months after It Ends With Us hit theaters in August 2024, Vigorous, who was additionally a producer on the movie, accused Baldoni of sexual harassment, making a hostile work setting and orchestrating an alleged smear marketing campaign towards her in a lawsuit filed that December.
Baldoni denied all allegations towards him and filed a countersuit that very same month wherein he accused Vigorous, Reynolds and publicist Leslie Sloane of extortion, defamation and extra. (Vigorous and Reynolds denied the claims as did Sloane.)
UPDATE 5/14/25 at 6:57 p.m. — Blake Vigorous’s authorized group filed a brand new movement to request that Justin Baldoni’s claims about her buddy Taylor Swift be stricken from the report, Us Weekly can affirm. Within the letter obtained by Us, Vigorous’s group famous that Baldoni’s letter was filed with out “evidentiary assist of any type.” “It ought to […]
Baldoni additionally filed a $250 million libel lawsuit towards The New York Instances for its protection of Vigorous’s preliminary criticism towards him.
Choose Liman dismissed Baldoni’s lawsuit towards Vigorous, Reynolds and Sloane on June 9. He additionally dismissed the case towards The New York Instances.
“Ms. Vigorous and her group’s predictable declaration of victory is fake, so allow us to be clear concerning the newest ruling,” Baldoni’s lawyer Freedman advised Us in a press release on June 10. “Whereas the Courtroom dismissed the defamation-related claims, the Courtroom has invited us to amend 4 out of the seven claims towards Ms. Vigorous, which is able to showcase extra proof and refined allegations. This case is about false accusations of sexual harassment and retaliation and a nonexistent smear marketing campaign, which Ms. Vigorous’s personal group conveniently describes as ‘untraceable’ as a result of they can not show what by no means occurred.”
He alleged, “Most significantly, Ms. Vigorous’s personal claims are not any more true immediately than they had been yesterday, and with the information on our aspect, we march ahead with the identical confidence that we had when Ms. Vigorous and her cohorts initiated this battle and sit up for her forthcoming deposition, which I shall be taking. We’re grateful for the natural present of assist from the general public and for the dedication of the Web sleuth group who proceed to cowl the case with discernment and integrity.”
Vigorous’s attorneys, in the meantime, had been thrilled with the end result, telling Us in a press release, “At present’s opinion is a complete victory and an entire vindication for Blake Vigorous, together with those who Justin Baldoni and the Wayfarer Events dragged into their retaliatory lawsuit, together with Ryan Reynolds, Leslie Sloane and The New York Instances.”
Attorneys Esra Hudson and Mike Gottlieb continued: “As now we have stated from day one, this ‘$400 million’ lawsuit was a sham, and the Courtroom noticed proper by way of it. We sit up for the following spherical, which is looking for attorneys’ charges, treble damages and punitive damages towards Baldoni, Sarowitz, Nathan, and the opposite Wayfarer Events who perpetrated this abusive litigation.”
Whereas Vigorous’s group was happy with the choose’s ruling, they continued to struggle for Taylor Swift’s communication with the actress to be protected against being utilized in the principle trial. (Swift’s track “My Tears Ricochet” was utilized in It Ends With Us, however Swift didn’t have any position in manufacturing. She was initially subpoenaed by Baldoni’s group however the court docket order was later dismissed.)
Liman denied Vigorous’s movement for a protecting order of Swift’s exchanges, texts with Vigorous, stating that Baldoni’s group has a proper to see them — however solely in regard to the movie.
A spokesperson for Vigorous responded to the ruling in a press release to Us, writing, “The Courtroom outright denied the Wayfarer Events’ movement to compel paperwork from Ms. Vigorous, who has produced way more paperwork on this case than the Wayfarer Events mixed. Additional, the Courtroom’s protecting order ruling rests on the Wayfarer Events’ admission that they acquired nothing from Taylor Swift, which is strictly the alternative of what their ‘insider’ claimed two weeks in the past.”
The assertion continued, “As for the remaining, Justin Baldoni and the Wayfarer events demanded entry to Taylor Swift’s non-public communications — regardless of having already subpoenaed after which withdrawn that subpoena. Baldoni’s want to tug Taylor Swift into this has been fixed courting again to August 2024, when the disaster PR agency led by Melissa Nathan included her of their ‘Situation Planning’ doc (Vigorous Amended Criticism, Exhibit D), referred to her as a bully, and known as for a method to affect the ‘TS fanbase’ (Vigorous Amended Criticism, 214(b)). We’ll proceed to name out Baldoni’s relentless efforts to use Ms Swift’s recognition, which from day one has been nothing greater than a distraction from the intense sexual harassment and retaliation accusations he and the Wayfarer events are going through.”
Vigorous and Baldoni’s trial is scheduled for March 2026.